Textile plant to close with loss of 60 jobs

One of Northern Ireland's leading textile firms is set to shed half its workforce and announce up to 60 redundancies, a union…

One of Northern Ireland's leading textile firms is set to shed half its workforce and announce up to 60 redundancies, a union claimed today.

Amicus said Ulster Weavers will close its plant in Dungannon, Co Tyrone, but the company has yet to comment on the speculation.

The union also believes a further 10 jobs could go at the firm's headquarters in Banbridge, Co Down. Mayor of Dungannon Francie Molloy said the claims had come as a surprise, especially so close to Christmas.

He said: "The concern here is that there is no direct statement and there does not seem to be a communication from Ulster Weavers themselves.

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"We on the council will follow this up to exactly what the situation is and to see if there is anything we can do at this stage to help."

Earlier this year, the company announced it was closing two of its four production plants in the North, with the loss of almost 80 jobs. At the time the firm blamed strong competition from low-cost manufacturers and increasing costs in Northern Ireland.